“Irene Voros’s evocative compositions add another layer of west coast appeal to Red Leaf Pianoworks.  I’m looking forward to hearing even more of her beautiful and pianistic works”
Martha Hill Duncan, Composer 

“Irene has been an influential educator in the Vancouver area for many years. Her gift to compose is an inspiration, and I am excited that so many musicians will get to enjoy her creations!”
Ron Koyanagi, General Manager Piano Division
Tom Lee Music Co. Ltd.

“I can thoroughly recommend these pieces to Teachers who wish to introduce their students to interesting and innovative piano solos!  I was privileged to hear these compositions from their early stages of development and can only say that Irene Voros is one talented composer.  Thank you Irene for introducing these captivating works to young students!”                                        Lilian Schmunk, L.R.S.M., R.M.T., Member of the Board of Examiners / R.C.M. Toronto

CFMTA Magazine Vol. 65, No. 1, September 2014                                                                         PACIFIC PASSAGES:   “As I played this book of eight piano solos, I was carried along in a delightful and picturesque musical journey.  Ms. Voros has perfectly captivated some of the most wonderful sights of the Pacific Northwest.  Techniques such as: ostinato, glissando, accents, crossed hands, extreme registers, rubato, and jazz chords are effectively employed. Carefully marked pedaling and fingering assist in making an expressive sound.  Key signatures include 6 flats.  Rhythmic precision adds character to the pieces such as Rugged Coastline.  The student has the opportunity to have good balance between the hands allowing for the melody to sing above the accompaniment.  I would be hard pressed to choose a favourite because the various sounds and colours have different appeals!  If you are looking for expressive and evocative music for your student I believe you’ll find these eight solos to meet your needs!”  (Jean Ritter)

“In my opinion, Irene Voros is a very talented composer.  She writes accessible piano music which is appealing on a number of levels. I believe that her books of piano music would be a great addition to the usual student curriculum.  Certainly, her compositions are deserving of consideration by parents and teachers alike. I’m more than happy to recommend her compositions to all lovers of good music!”
Michael Conway Baker, O.B.C. 

CFMTA Magazine Vol. 65, No. 2, January 2015                                                                            JOURNEY THROUGH THE GALAXY:  “This Canadian collection is an excellent assortment of pieces with the imaginative student in mind.  With fun titles such as In a Hot Air Balloon, Journey Through the Galaxy and In a Rock Band among others, these pieces are great for any Canadian class in your local music festival or Canada Music Week (R) recital.  For the exam student, these pieces are approx. Grad 2-3 level.  The performance notes included help the teacher and student fully explore the score and interpretation.”  (Lauren Kells – Saskatchewan)

CFMTA Magazine Vol. 65, No. 3, May 2015                                                                                              CHECKMATE:  “This duet book consists of eight intermediate  level piano duets inspired by the strategic game of Chess.  The contents and performance notes give a brief glimpse into the role of the chess pieces employed in each piece.  Capture and Escape has driving rhythm and syncopation and both primo and secondo have the opportunity to advance the melodic line to achieve victory.  The Queen, The Elegant Empress, is as the title indicates: elegant, and is represented with a beautiful melody primarily in the primo part.  The secondo has a more chordal approach to support the regal and stately position of the queen.  Each duet definitely portrays the description in the performance notes.  If you incorporate ensemble playing in your studio, these duets would add fun and useful skills.  I played through the book with my late intermediate students for sight reading in their lessons to add a different approach to that component of the lesson.  Great fun!”  (Jean Ritter-British Columbia)

Canadian Federation of Music Teacher’s Association (CFMTA)  June 25, 2015                      Your composition “Pacific Sunset” has been selected as the winning composition in the      Grade 5-6 category by our panel in the CFMTA Call of Compositions.

Dr. John Burge ARCT, DMA, FRSC.   School of Music, Queens University                                        “This is fabulous news and having played PACIFIC SUNSET myself on the piano, I can attest that it is beautifully expressive and falls well under the fingers.  The honour is well deserved.”

CFMTA Magazine Vol. 67, No. 3, May 2016                                                                                        AROUND THE WORLD:  I enjoyed playing through these colourful pieces that were inspired by cities and countries from around the world. Each piece is beautifully written using rich harmonies and creative melodies. ‘Venetian Waterways’ has the RH primarily in triplets clearly representing the flowing water. This work could be categorized as romantic with the use of rubato and the varied dynamics. ‘Wailea Shores’ is beautiful. Rolled chords, ties, and register shifts make this work delightful. ‘Beneath Cherry Blossoms’ takes the performer to Japan with the use of pentatonic sounds. The lovely RH melody includes delicate triplets. ‘Tango La Boca’ transports us to Argentina as the LH rhythm adds spice. The largest chords are sevenths and the chromatic thirds have clear fingering for guidance. ‘Stepping Out In Dublin’ features 6/8 meter, the key of g minor, and quick steps, stops, and starts. The third last bar features 9/8 adding a great finale. ‘Christmas in Stockholm’ is very peaceful with a calming melody. The student will need to be careful to avoid splitting the many softly played chords. ‘The Big Easy Blues’ welcomes us to New Orleans with the LH providing the blues baseline. Again the largest chords are sevenths. Register, shifts, ties, and accents add interest. The final work, ‘Amazon Rainforest’ is rich in colour. Written with six sharps and largely constructed with sixteenth notes in the RH the piece flows under the fingers easily. The performance notes at the end of the book provide direction and a brief explanation about the origin of each piece. Well written and thoroughly enjoyable!

Jean Ritter- British Columbia

CFMTA Magazine Vol. 67, No. 2, January 2016                                                                                       A GRAND ADVENTURE is a newly published collection of ten piano solos for elementary-level learners. The music is composed by Canadian composer Irene Voros and illustrated by Sarah Jean Nelson. Each piece follows the theme of “adventure “, interpreted in various ways. There are a variety of styles used in this collection, from pop to blues- rock to jazz, indicated by the performance notes located in back of the book. These notes also highlight other features of music, including register changes, modes, and in the case of “Buzzing Bees”, the six sharps in its key signature. The pieces themselves vary in expressiveness. “A Grand Adventure” is worth trying out for its exploration of popular styles.

Kathrine Murley- Ontario

CFMTA Magazine Vol. 68, No. 3, May 2017                                                                                          INSPIRED:  This is another lovely collection of music by Irene Voros. (From the composer “‘INSPIRED’ features jazz elements of syncopated rhythms, complex harmonies and expressive melodic lines”. )  This collection features seven pieces of music with such evocative titles as SOLACE, REFLECTION, IMPACT, COMPASSION, HOPE, COURAGE, and INSPIRED. Each piece sets out to portray he mood of the title and there is something for every student. This book would be at the intermediate level and any of he pieces would make a great piece for a Canadian class in festival, or as a year end recital piece.

A great book for the teacher to add to the Canadian section of their music library.
Laureen Kells – Saskatchewan